The Replacement of Sultan Sa'id binTaymur by Britain (1959-1970): A Study in British Documents

Abstract

This paper is an attempt to shed light on the replacement issue of Sultan Sa'id bin Taymur (1932-1970) which lasted between 1959 and 1970, especially the deliberations among British officials that led the British Government to abandon him from power on July 23, 1970. During the reign of Sultan Sa'id bin Taymur, Oman was underdeveloped in many aspects. He even refused to effect any change so his country develpoed, and he didn’t meet the demands of his own people along with Omani revolutions against him. Hence his throne was threatened and the situation in his country was not stable. The British government wanted to make sure tht their interests are maintained and protected in the region, especially after it had a decision to withdraw from the Arab Gulf countries in 1971. Thus, the British Government only wanted to leave behind a powerful ruler who would be willing to develop his state and keep it stable. Of course, since Sa'id was no up to such an ambition, the British brought Qaboos, his son, to power to fulfill this goal. Keywords: Sa'id bin Taymur, Qaboos, British Government, Oman, Replacement of the Sultan.